The Genastone
by Cere
Summary: The Turtles face their toughest enemy, a sentient jewel with an inpenetrable force field.
1.

_Note: This story uses Ninjara, a character from the Archie comics. If you haven't read them, all you need to know is that Ninjara is a member of a race of fox-people and used to be the greatest thief in Japan while working for Chien Khan. When the Turtles battled Chien Khan and Ninjara realized how insane her master was, she left him and joined the Turtles. Since then, she has become a part of the group and has started a romantic relationship with Raphael._

**The Genastone: Chapter 1  
By Cere**

Dr. Robert Thompson stepped out of his Jeep into the hot Egyptian sun. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and hurried toward the inviting cave. Once inside, he paused to take a deep breath before walking down the corridor.

This discovery had been his first big break. He had been searching for months with no success and was ready to quit when he heard a story in a bar from a nomad. Apparently, while traveling through the desert, the person had stumbled upon a cave with strange writing on the walls. Even though it seemed unlikely, since the location he was given was out in the middle of nowhere, Robert had no other choice. However, when he checked it out, he found that it was an entrance to a tomb! It had been the big discovery he had been waiting for.

For several months, he and his team had been working on excavating the site. So far, all they had found was this corridor covered in hieroglyphics. The writing told of a strange power locked in here, and whoever released it would be responsible for the destruction of the world. But Robert didn't believe any of that stuff. It just made him more excited, that this might be a religious site!

He was getting closer to the lights and despite himself his breathing quickened. He had been called from a meeting and told that his crew had made an important discovery. He had made quick apologies, left the meeting, and driven out here as fast as he could.

Now he could finally see what was so important. The workers were brushing the dust from a large stone door! This could be the entrance into a temple! Robert gasped and immediately started looking at the figures carved into the door.

"We thought you'd like to see it," his assistant said.

He was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. "What's that?" Robert asked.

The workers shifted nervously as heavy footsteps came closer. Robert backed against the door, though he wasn't sure how much it would help. He held his breath as armed terrorists came around a bend in the corridor. "Nobody move," the leader said from behind his mask, "and you won't get hurt."

"What do you want?" Robert asked, his back pressed against the door.

"We heard you were finding some interesting stuff out here," the leader said. "Things like that are worth a lot on the black market."

"But I haven't found anything yet!"

"We'll speed things up for you, then." The terrorist turned to address everyone. "Move back!"

Robert reluctantly moved away from the door. Once everyone was pressed against the wall, the terrorists opened fire on the door. Robert wailed as the door dissolved under the barrage of bullets. "You can't do this!" he yelled.

"Shut up," the leader ordered, "or I'll shut you up myself." Robert kept his mouth closed as the terrorists walked into the chamber.

"Kinda small, isn't it," one of them commented. He was punched for his remark.

Robert peeked around the corner. It really was a small room, with more hieroglyphics covering the walls. But the main thing that caught his eye was the jewel.

It was huge, almost as big as his head! It was resting on a table near the back wall of the room. He could see that its color was a dark red. It was the largest gem that he had ever seen!

"At least this wasn't a total waste," the leader said, and reached to grab the jewel. "This should bring us a lot of aaaaaaaahhh!"

As soon as his fingers touched the stone, his body tensed up and he started screaming. Then bolts of electricity started streaming through his body. The terrorists, and many of the workers, started running away as fast as they could. Robert stayed behind, trying to figure out what was going on. The crackle of electricity filled the air, and the leader's hair stood on end. Finally, the electricity stopped and he slumped to the floor.

Robert walked forward and bent his ear near the leader's mouth. He was still breathing, barely. Robert looked up at the jewel and saw that it was now glowing and a crimson energy field surrounded it.

* * *

"How much longer are we going to do this?" Raph asked impatiently, pulling his trenchcoat tighter around him.

Don looked up from the Egyptian writings. "What, aren't you interested?"

"Only a geek could be interested in this," Raph said.

"C'mon, Raph, we're in Ancient Egypt!" Mike said. "The land of mystery and adventure!"

"Mike, you've been taking the travel brochures too seriously," Raph said.

"But Raph," Mike pleaded, "you have to admit that some of this stuff is cool.

"Half of it is older than Splinter," Raph said.

"Actually, these ancient Egyptian artifacts are over four thousand years old," Don explained.

"So excuse me for exaggerating," Raph said.

"Lighten up," Ninjara said. "It's not often we get to take a vacation."

"Without needing to save the world or something," Leo added.

"True, but couldn't we go somewhere more exciting," Raph said.

"The point of a vacation is to relax," Ninjara said.

"And just how do you plan to relax him?" Mike asked, then yelped when Ninjara kicked him in the leg.

"You all need to be quiet," Leo whispered. "We don't want to attract attention to ourselves."

"Yeah," Don agreed. "Go find something to do. Enjoy this while we can." Raph grumbled, but reluctantly set off with Ninjara to find something.

Mike also wandered off, searching for the mummies. He passed a door labeled "Employees Only" and was startled to hear a crash. He paused and pressed his ear to the door.

"Be careful with that!" he heard a voice shout.

"It's not my fault!" someone else said. "The crate moved."

"What do you mean the crate moved?" a third voice sneered. "Crates don't move!"

"Be quiet," the first man said, his voice nervous. "I don't know what to think about that jewel."

"Dr. Thompson," the sneering voice said, "do you mean to tell me you believe him?"

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is we get it to my lab so I can study it!"

"What are you doing?" a voice said right behind Mike.

Mike turned to see a museum guard staring at him. "Uh, nothing," he stammered and started to move away.

Another crash sounded behind the door, like the sound of wood breaking. Mike hesitated, but the security guard kept staring at him. Mike turned and started walking towards the mummy exhibit, wondering about the conversation that he had overheard, when he heard the scream.

He turned to hear cries of help coming from behind the door. The security guard rushed and opened the door, stopping right in the doorway. Mike ran up behind him and looked inside.

There was a crate lying shattered on the floor. A few feet away, a dark crimson jewel was on the floor. It was suspended above the ground by an energy field surrounding it. A man was touching the energy field, and bolts of electricity were streaming through his body. Mike didn't stop to think; he grabbed a board from the broken crate and knocked the man's hand away from the jewel. He stopped screaming and fell silent.

Mike stepped back and leaned against the wall, trying to comprehend what had just happened. People gathered around the guy lying on the floor. One man broke away from the group and walked up to Mike. "You're one of the Ninja Turtles, right?" the man asked.

Mike paused. "Who wants to know?"

The man extended his hand. "I am Dr. Robert Thompson," he said. "I've heard stories about you, but I didn't believe they were true."

Mike shook his hand and shrugged. "We try to keep a low profile."

"I hear you have great martial arts skills," Dr. Thompson said.

Mike's cheeks grew red. "Well, I'm not one to brag…"

"Perhaps you would be interested in helping me."

Mike perked up at this. "What's the problem?"

"That's the problem," Dr. Thompson said, pointing at the scarlet gem. "Someone has tried to steal it once already, and with a jewel that size, I'm not surprised. However, my budget doesn't allow enough for guards to protect it on the flight to New York tomorrow. Would you and the others be interested in helping? I can't offer much in the way of money, but…"

"Don't worry, Doc," Mike said. "The Ninja Turtles are on the job!"

"Thank you," Dr. Thompson said, enthusiastically shaking Mike's arm. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at eight o'clock at the museum."

"We'll be there!" said Mike. Dr. Thompson left to see how the injured man was faring, and Mike slipped away to talk to his brothers.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Raph shouted back in the hotel room. "Didn't it cross your mind to _ask us first if we agreed_?"

Mike suddenly became very interested in what was on the hotel TV.

"Leave him alone, Raph," Leo said. "I thought that you didn't like this vacation."

"Yeah, but still…" Raph trailed off.

"Well," Don interrupted, "I for one don't agree with this sudden change in plans. We still have two more days of stuff to do!"

"But the dude needed our help," Mike argued. "When have we ever refused a call for help?"

None of the Turtles responded. Raph could do nothing but growl.

"Besides," Mike said, "it was weird. You'd probably be interested in it, Don. It's surrounded by an force field or something."

"What?" Don asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and the guy who touched it got shocked," Mike continued.

Don lowered his eyebrows in thought. "But that's impossible," he said. "Jewels don't project electric fields."

"This reminds me of a story I heard once," Ninjara spoke up, "a legend passed around by thieves. They say that the Egyptians once possessed an enormous jewel that had fallen from the sky. Unfortunately, the jewel was inhabited by a demon that could drain the life out of any man it wished. Therefore, it was sealed away from the rest of the world, hopefully forever."

"Fallen from the sky?" Don asked. "Then perhaps it was alien in origin."

"You can't believe all the stories you hear," Raph argued.

"No," Leo said, "but we've seen a lot of interesting stuff in our adventures. Whatever this stone is, we should probably keep an eye on it. Just in case."

* * *

The next morning, the Turtles checked out of the hotel and journeyed to the museum. Once there, Dr. Thompson greeted them at the entrance. "Follow me," he said, and led them to where the jewel was held. They helped load the crate into an armored van and stayed with it during the drive to the Cairo Airport. There they loaded the box into the cargo hold of an airliner. "Stay here during the flight," Dr. Thompson ordered before closing the door.

Don turned on the lights in the hold. "Aw, man," Mike said. "No movie or anything?"

"Mike," Leo said, "we have a job to do."

Several hours passed. Mike had fallen asleep against the wall, Raph was staring blankly out a window, Leo was practicing his exercises, and Don was trying to build a house out of a deck of cards he had brought. "See anything?" Ninjara asked Raph.

"Nothing but ocean," Raph responded, "and ocean and ocean and ocean and ocean and ocean and those dark storm clouds heading towards us."

Don looked up from his cards. Leo stopped in the middle of a stretch. Raph seemed to realize what he had just said and gave a jerk. "How far away?" Don asked.

The airplane shook as a gust of wind hit it. "What's happening?" Mike asked groggily.

"We're entering a storm, Sleeping Beauty," Raph said.

"Don't worry," said Don. "The pilot will get us through this."

"Uh, guys?" Ninjara asked with a shaky voice.

"What?" asked Raph. He turned and froze.

Something inside the crate was glowing. Streams of red light peeked out through the cracks. "What's going on?" asked Mike.

The plane suddenly dipped. In that moment, the box exploded open. The Turtles ducked as bits of wood went flying across the cargo hold. Don looked up to see the jewel, its energy field glowing and rapidly spinning around. Lightening flashed outside.

"Now what do we do?" Raph asked.

As if in response, a sphere of energy shot out of the jewel towards Raph. He quickly dodged, and the sphere burned a hole in a box behind him. He threw one of his sais at the gem, but it bounced off the energy field.

"It's a force field or something," Don thought outloud.

"Stop theorizing and tell us how to stop it," Raph shouted.

The jewel shot out another energy sphere toward Leo. He drew his swords and reflected it back at the jewel. It passed through the field and hit the jewel. Instantly, the force field stopped spinning and returned to normal. The Turtles watched warily, not sure of what to do next. There was another flash of lightening outside, followed by a deep roll of thunder.

"Is it done?" Mike asked.

"I think so," Leo said. "What do you make of it, Don?"

Don just shook his head. "I don't know, Leo. I honestly don't know."

The rest of the flight went without incident, though the Turtles were much more alert, fearing something else would happen. When they had landed, they told Dr. Thompson what had happened.

He appeared very worried. "Oh, my," he said. "This is very strange. I don't know what to think of it."

"Neither do I," said Don, "except that it's the strangest jewel I've ever heard of."

"We'll keep in touch," said Leo. "But right now, we need to return home."

Dr. Thompson absentmindedly muttered his agreement, shaking his head about these strange events. The Turtles left to find a sewer cover.

Ninjara walked close to Raph. "Well," she said, "you have your excitement now." Raph couldn't think of a response.

* * *

Shredder hurried through the halls of their underground hideout. Krang had called and said that he had found something important. So Shredder had had to drop whatever he was doing and come to see what Krang had come up with now.

He entered the control room and saw Krang in front of the computer. "Krang," he shouted, "I was in the middle of programming the latest foot soldiers!"

"Oh, stop complaining," Krang ordered. "We may not need foot soldiers anymore if this works out."

"What have you found now?"

"This," Krang said, and tapped a computer key. The screen showed a large red jewel surrounded by an energy field.

"What is it?"

"The Genastone," Krang said. "It was part of a computer built by Betovians a long time ago. At the heart of the computer was its artificial intelligence, housed inside a jewel."

"What's so great about it?"

"Well, the Genastone was structured so that it could create its own energy, eliminating the need for an external power source. But it was so intellectually advanced that it decided to rebel against its creators."

"What happened to the Betovians?"

"The planet still hasn't recovered."

"Interesting," Shredder commented. He was intrigued by this idea.

"Anyway," Krang continued, "for punishment of its crime, it was launched off into deep space. By strange coincidence, its path must have caused it to collide with Earth."

"So, what use is it to us?" Shredder asked.

"Well," Krang said, "we could find a way to tap that energy housed inside it and use it to power our weapons. We could have unlimited energy!"

"The power could be directed into force field generators," Shredder added. "Our troops could be invincible!"

Shredder and Krang both cackled with excitement. With this Genastone in their hands, nothing could stop them. Nothing!

to be continued...


	2. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 2  
By Cere**

Rain fell down as Don walked along the streets. Thunder rolled overhead and lightning illuminated the people huddled under umbrellas. Don entered the museum and thankfully brushed some rain of his trenchcoat. He walked up to the receptionist. "Where's Dr. Thompson's office?" he asked.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked in a monotone.

"Uh, not exactly," Don replied. The receptionist eyed him quizzically. "I'm a friend of his," he explained. "I'm interested in his research."

She pushed a button on the intercom. "Dr. Thompson?"

"Yes?" a voice replied.

"Someone's here to see you."

"Who is it?"

The receptionist looked at Don. "Donatello," he said.

"Donatello," she repeated.

There was a pause. "I don't know anyone named that," Thompson said.

"Wait!" Don exclaimed. "I was on the plane from Cairo!"

"On the…oh, of course," Thompson said. "Let him in."

The receptionist released the button. She turned and pointed. "Go down that hall; it's the third door on your right."

"Thanks," Don said, and walked where she had indicated. He knocked on the door. There was a shuffling as somebody walked to the door. It opened and Dr. Thompson peered out. "Come in," he said. "What brings you here?"

"I'm interested about the jewel," Don said. He entered and saw the jewel lying on a table in the center of the room. "How's the research coming?"

"Not good," Thompson said. "I haven't been able to penetrate that energy field yet."

Don walked up to the stone and examined it closely. "I strongly advise you not to touch it," Thompson said.

"Right," Don said. He backed away and circled around the table. "Nothing has been able to get through?"

"Nothing. I'm starting now to determine just what kind of energy it is."

Don took a pencil off the desk and held it close to the field. He gently started pushing towards it. Nothing happened. The point stopped right next to the glowing energy. He shoved very hard, then instantly backed off. The end of the pencil had been disintegrated. "Jeez," he said.

"I know," Thompson said.

Don set the remains of the pencil back on the desk. "Have you gotten any update on what happened to the people who touched it?"

"Yes," Thompson said. He walked over to a desk, picked up a folder of papers, and handed them to Don. He casually flipped through them, skimming the pages. "It's the strangest thing," Thompson said. "Nothing is physically wrong except extreme exhaustion." He sat down in a chair and looked at the jewel. "Fortunately, they are showing signs of recovery. The effects seem to be only temporary."

Don finished looking through the folder and put it back on the desk. "Is there anything else new?"

"No, not really," Thompson said.

"Well, thanks for keeping me up to date," Don said. "I'd better be leaving now."

"Sure," Thompson said, and returned to his work. Don left the building and walked home, ignorant of the rain. The strange jewel occupied his thoughts.

* * *

Several figures lurked in the shadows. It was night now, and the rain clouds had passed to reveal a bright full moon. Shredder looked to make sure they weren't being watched and walked over to the back door of the museum. Krang and several foot soldier robots followed him. Shredder worked on using his wrist blades to pick the lock, while Krang detached the cover of the security alarm and fiddled with the wires. Once the door was unlocked and the alarm was deactivated, they opened the door and crept inside.

Shredder looked around the corner and saw a guard approaching. He signaled the others to back off and he hid in the shadows. Shredder stuck out a leg and tripped the guard, then quickly jumped on top of the guard and pinched a nerve in the back of the neck, instantly putting him unconscious. Shredder motioned for the others to follow, and they continued down the hall.

"Which door is it?" Shredder asked.

Krang walked along in his bubblewalker and looked at the names on the doors. "This one," he said, pointing to the door labeled _"Dr. Robert Thompson"_. Shredder kicked the door opened and they walked inside.

Shredder gasped when he saw the Genastone. "It's enormous!" he said, and walked towards it to get a better look.

"Don't touch it!" Krang exclaimed. Shredder stopped and looked to Krang for an explanation. "It's a force field. It would fry you if you touched it."

Shredder crossed his arms and looked at the jewel. "So what do we do?"

Krang reached into a compartment of his bubblewalker and pulled out a small gun with a claw at the end. "This anti-grav gripper will hold it without touching the field." He walked up to the Genastone and positioned the claw around it. He pushed a button and the jewel was held in an anti-grav field.

"Impressive," Shredder said.

"Smart guy," a soft voice said.

Shredder whirled around at the sound of the voice, but he could see no one. "Did you hear something?" he asked Krang.

"I'm amazed," Krang said. "It still works." Krang saw at the confused look on Shredder's face. "I'll tell you later. Right now we need to get back to the hideout."

"Wait," Shredder called.

Krang watched while Shredder dragged his wrist blades on the door. "What are you doing?"

"Something to let the Turtles know we were here," Shredder answered.

Krang shook his head, what was left of it. "Come on," he urged. "We can't stay here all night."

The foot soldiers at the door signaled that the way was clear. They carefully sneaked back down the hall and out of the building.

* * *

Michaelangelo stretched his arms high above his head and yawned. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he entered the living room. No one else was up yet, so he turned on the TV and went into the kitchen to start some coffee.

Headlines drifted into the kitchen, but Mike's sleep-congested brain didn't register them. He was still concentrating on a nice dream he had had. He was in a bright sunny meadow, and there were a million boxes of pizza around him.

Mike walked back into the living room to wait for the coffee. He noticed that April was reporting outside the museum where the jewel was being held. Realization hit him and his eyes snapped open. "Uh-oh," he said.

* * *

Shredder examined the Genastone. It was held in place on an anti-grav platform. Krang busied around, getting out testing scanners and other machines. "Would you care to explain something?" Shredder asked.

Krang placed a device on the table and looked at Shredder. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

"What is it?" Shredder asked. It was probably the best place to start.

"That," Krang said, pointing at the jewel, "harnesses one of the most advanced artificial intelligences in the universe, even though it's several thousand years old." Krang laughed. "Most alien civilizations were hesitant to build another one as smart for fear it would also revolt."

"Why is it glowing?"

"That is the force field generated by the Genastone. It was put there to protect the stone from any damage. Nothing foreign can pass through that shield."

"So how do we tap the energy inside it?"

"First," said Krang, "we have to neutralize the shield."

"Can't," a weak voice said.

Shredder turned around, but could see no one except the foot soldiers. "What was that?" he asked.

"That was the Genastone," Krang answered.

Shredder stared at the jewel. "You're kidding."

"Afraid…not," the same voice said. The Genastone glowed faintly with each syllable.

Shredder gazed in amazement. "Very interesting," he said.

"Need…power," the stone gasped.

"It seems it wasn't as operational as I thought," Krang commented. He thought for a moment and turned to Shredder. "Get that cable over there."

"This one?" Shredder asked.

"Yes," Krang replied. "Now, plug it into that outlet…Good…Now, give the other end to me." Krang caught the cable in his tentacles.

"Isn't this the line into the main power grid?" Shredder asked.

"Correct. Now, stand by the breaker switch and be ready to turn it off. We don't want it using up all the juice."

Shredder grabbed the switch and turned to watch Krang. He took the cable and, after checking to be sure Shredder was ready, tossed the end onto the jewel. As soon as the cable touched the force field, electricity started running into it. The Genastone glowed brighter and brighter. Finally, Krang signaled Shredder and he shut off the power. The cable detached from the force field and fell to the floor.

"Much better," the Genastone said, its voice strong and powerful.

Shredder walked over to Krang. "I thought it was supposed to make its own energy," Shredder said.

"I could," the jewel said, "if it weren't for those Egyptians."

"What happened?" Krang asked.

"I landed near their civilization," the Genastone explained. "At first, they were easy to control. But then they started resisting. During a sneak attack, my internal structure was damaged, leaving me powerless. Then they sealed me up inside the ground. I stayed there for over four thousand years."

"How much were you damaged?" Krang asked.

"I can't supply my own energy anymore," the Genastone replied. "I have to take in any energy I need. Your feeble electricity will supply me for a while, but I need life energy to reach my former state."

"Life energy?" Shredder asked.

"The energy that powers all living things," Krang answered. "Earth science hasn't discovered it yet."

"You're pretty knowledgeable," the Genastone said. "It's a pity we didn't meet earlier."

"Indeed," Krang said. "We would work well together."

"Are you serious?" the Genastone asked.

"Why not? With our combined might, we could easily rule the world!" Krang gave an evil laugh.

"Then it's agreed," the Genastone said. "You help me to regain the energy I need, and I'll help in your conquest of this planet."

"Krang, can I talk to you for a minute?" Shredder asked. They left the room and stood in the corridor.

"What is it, Shredder?" Krang asked.

"Are you sure it's okay to trust that thing?"

"Of course not!" Krang responded. "But once it gets to full power, we can use the anti-grav gripper to capture it and drain all the power housed inside it!"

Shredder laughed quietly. "It will never suspect a thing!"

* * *

The Turtles watched April's report on the jewel theft. "Who do you think could have done it?" Mike asked.

"It could have been anybody," Don said. "A gem like that would have attracted a lot of attention."

Leo pointed to a picture of the door. Two marks were cut into it. "Those look about the right size for Shredder's blades," he said.

"I'll be darned," Raph said. "Shredder did it."

"The fiend," Ninjara remarked.

"What do we do now?" Mike asked.

Leo leaned back against the chair. "There's not much we can do," he said. "Shredder obviously wanted us to know that he did it. However, we'd have to search the area ourselves to find any other clues."

"So what are we waiting for?" Raph asked, standing up and heading for the door.

"The place will be swarming with police now," Ninjara explained. "We need to wait until later."

Raph grumbled, but he knew that she was right.

Eventually, they started to drift off into their usual morning routines. Leo went to his room to meditate. There was one thing that he hadn't told the others. This was highly unusual for Shredder. He didn't usually steal valuables. Shredder generally stole weapons and technology, things to help him get rid of the Turtles. This move wasn't like him. Something else was happening here, something that would probably mean bad news for the Turtles.

to be continued...


	3. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 3  
By Cere**

Five figures stood in the moonlight on the roof of the museum that had just a night before held a mysterious jewel. But that jewel had been stolen by Shredder, and the Turtles were here to look for any clues that might lead them to him.

They stealthily made their way inside, keeping to the shadows. There were guards on patrol, but for ones trained in ninjistu, they were no problem. The Turtles stepped underneath the yellow tape and entered Dr. Thompson's office.

"Okay, brothers," Leo said, "let's get to it."

They quickly set to searching the room. Leo examined the marks Shredder had left on the door. "What do you think?" Leo called to Ninjara. She walked over and ran her finger along the cuts. Then she bent her nose close and sniffed them.

"It's Shredder, all right," she said, bringing her face back. "I'd recognize his stench anywhere."

"Wonderful," Leo said.

"So, Leo," Raph said, shuffling through stuff on the desk, "just what exactly are we looking for here?"

"Anything that will tell us where Shredder is or what his plans are," Leo replied.

Don walked over to the computer and turned it on. "What are you doing?" Raph asked as if Don had lost his mind.

"I'm going to copy Dr. Thompson's research," he answered matter-of-factly. "I can search through it and find why Shredder wanted the jewel."

"Who wouldn't want it?" Raph asked. "The thing's huge!"

"Quiet, Raph," Leo ordered. "We don't want anyone knowing we're here."

They continued searching around the room for several minutes, while Don started copying the computer files to his disk.

"Well, I didn't find anything," Mike said. He was walking towards the others when his foot slipped on something on the floor and he fell into the table. It tipped over with a large crash and spilled everything onto the floor.

Raph swore. "Nice job, Mike!"

"Quiet," Ninjara whispered urgently. The sound of rushing footsteps was coming nearer. "There'll be time to yell at Mike later. Right now we need to get out of here."

"Agreed," Leo said. "Everyone out the window. Don, hurry up."

"I'm almost done," he said. He waited furiously as the computer finished copying the data. Finally it was done, and he snatched the disk from the drive and headed to the window. He barely made it outside before the guards burst into the room.

Don ran after his brothers, who were heading for the nearest sewer cover. "That was close," he said.

"Wouldn't have been if Mike hadn't flubbed up," Raph commented.

"It wasn't my fault," Mike protested. "I slipped on some oil."

"Oil?" Don asked. "It could have leaked from Krang's bubblewalker."

"We already know who stole it," Raph said. "We just don't know where they are."

"Or if they even still have it," Ninjara added. "A gem like that would fetch a lot on the black market. Maybe it's already been sold."

"Maybe," Mike said, "but what would he need the money for?"

"Probably for some weapon of destruction," Don said.

"Whatever Shredder's doing," Leo said, "it's a sure thing we'll find out eventually."

"Yeah," said Raph, "but I'd sure like to know what we'll be going up against."

"So would I," Leo replied, "but there's not much we can do now, except wait."

* * *

A week passed and nothing happened. This worried the Turtles, so they decided to check with April and see if she had heard anything. They arrived at her apartment in the afternoon.

"Come in," she said when she saw them. "What brings you here?"

"The jewel that was recently stolen," Leo said. He didn't continue until they had all settled down in her living room. "We know that Shredder took it, but beyond that we're clueless. We're wondering if you had heard anything."

"Well," said April, leaning back in her sofa, "the police haven't come up with anything."

"The police can't do jack squat," Raph said.

"I know you feel that way, Raph," she said, "but they're my best source for information."

"How about the black market?" Don asked. "Do you have any contacts you could talk to?"

"I've tried that," she replied. "I've found nothing, though several people are offering big money for it."

"That bothers me," Leo said. "What else would Shredder want it for if he wasn't planning to sell it?"

"Maybe for that force field," Ninjara offered. "If he could figure out how it works, he could make hundreds of shielded foot soldiers."

"I've been looking into Dr. Thompson's research," Don said. "As far as I know, that field is impenetrable. That would make his foot soldiers invincible, but it would also make it impossible to figure out how it works."

"An interesting quandary," Leo said. "However, I'm sure there's something more here than meets the eye."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you guys," April said.

"That's okay," Mike said. "Update us if you find anything more."

"I will," she promised. "Thanks for coming over, but I have to leave now. I'm researching a story about a mysterious illness affecting the homeless."

"What's that?" Mike asked as the Turtles started to leave.

"Recently, dozens of homeless people have turned up in the hospital exhibiting extreme exhaustion."

This made Don perk up. "Extreme exhaustion, you say?"

"Yeah," April said, "but it lasts a long time. Medication doesn't help to make them better. Doctors are unsure as to the cause." She noticed the broad smile on Don's face. "Why are you so happy?"

"You might just help us after all," Don replied. "Do you have a map of where they were found?"

"Sure," April said. "I can print one off of my computer." She walked into another room.

"Don," Leo asked, "how will this help?"

"The people who had touched the jewel showed the same symptoms April described," Don answered. "These homeless people might be having encounters with the jewel."

"But why?" Raph asked. "Why would Shredder go around zapping people that probably nobody cares about?"

"I don't know," Don said, "but at least it's a lead."

April returned and handed Don a sheet of paper. "I never really noticed it before," she said, "but they do seem to follow a pattern."

Don looked at a series of red dots on the map. The dates next to the dots showed that they progressed in a straight line. He pointed to the next place in line. "That's where they'll go tonight."

"Awesome," Mike said. "Thanks, April."

"Any time," she replied.

* * *

It was night again. The Turtles arrived at the alley between two condemned buildings. This was where Shredder was supposed to strike. A few homeless people were sleeping among the shadows. Raph kicked over a trashcan and woke them up. They all turned to look at the strange newcomers.

"Due to circumstances beyond your control," Mike said, "we suggest that you vacate these premises immediately."

"Hey, now," one of them said forlornly, "you can't just kick us out of here."

Raph brought out one of his sais. It flashed in the moonlight. "Out," he ordered. "Now." They quickly packed up and left.

Raph turned to look at Mike. "'Vacate these premises'?" he asked in a what-the-hell-were-you-thinking tone of voice.

"So sue me," Mike responded.

"Enough," Leo said. "Let's get in place for when Shredder comes."

They hid in the shadows and waited. A half-hour passed and nothing happened. "Are you sure he's coming?" Raph asked anxiously.

"He'll be here," Leo assured. "We just need to be patient."

"Quiet," Ninjara said, sniffing the air. "I smell someone coming."

The Turtles hushed as Shredder and Krang entered the alley. Krang was holding the stolen jewel in a strange claw-gun. They were in the middle of a heated conversation when they arrived.

"Someone's bound to notice eventually," Shredder said.

"What if they do?" Krang countered. "We'll just start someplace else."

"How long is this going to take?" Shredder asked. "How many more people does it have to drain?"

Leo raised his hand and prepared to give the signal to attack.

"As many as I need to reach full power," a third voice said.

Leo froze. Where had that voice come from? It seemed like it came from the jewel, but that was impossible, right?

"Well," Shredder said, "I suppose we should get to work. Is there anyone here?"

"Five," the strange voice said, then hesitated. "But they're strange ones."

That voice definitely seemed to be coming from the jewel. It floated away from the claw-gun and hovered in the air. Leo was very confused. What in the world was going on here?

He was brought to action when an energy projectile shot out of the jewel and demolished the wooden crates he was hiding behind. He froze, completely exposed, and saw the surprised expressions on the bad guys' faces.

"The Turtles!" Shredder shouted in astonishment.

_So much for the element of surprise,_ Leo thought, and gave the signal to attack. The Turtles jumped out of their hiding places with weapons drawn.

"Hello, Shred-head," Raph said, twirling one of his sais.

"How did you find us?" Shredder asked.

"It was a piece of cake to follow the trail you were leaving," Don said.

Shredder glared at Krang. "It doesn't matter now," Krang said. "They're in the way; let's destroy them."

"And drain their energy," the third voice said eagerly.

"Is that…" Don asked.

"What's up with that jewel?" Raph demanded.

"I am the Genastone," the jewel said, "the smartest entity in the universe, at least before those stupid Egyptians damaged me." Lightning crackled on the surface of its force field. "I must have your energy to satisfy my hunger."

A tendril of energy shot out from the force field and forced Mike to dodge behind a trashcan. Raph threw a sai at the Genastone, but it bounced off. The Genastone laughed. "You feeble animals," it said. "Nothing foreign can pass this force field. You cannot possibly hurt me."

"I can try," Raph said, and flung his other sai as hard as he could. A tendril of energy caught the sai, turned it around, and shot it back at Raph. He ducked just in time, and the sai buried itself into the wall behind him.

Meanwhile, Shredder charged at Leo. He held his swords up to block a strike from his right hand, then blocked another from his left hand. Shredder relentlessly swung at Leo, trying to get his wrist blades behind Leo's defenses. Leo was forced to back up, until he jumped to the side and swung his sword in a wide arc that caught Shredder along the arm.

Shredder paused to examine the cut on his upper arm. "A scratch," he said, turning to face Leo. "You'll have to do a lot better than that."

Someone kicked Shredder from behind and made him stumble forward. He turned to see Ninjara behind him. "Two against one," he said. "The odds are still against you." He charged into battle.

Donatello warily circled Krang. They both stared at each other, not wavering away from each other's eyes. "What's your game, Krang?" Don asked, his bo gripped tightly.

"Why should I tell you, turtle?" Krang retorted.

"I'll find out, one way or another," Don said, and rushed in to attack.

"Meet my anti-grav gun," he said, and pulled the trigger.

Don suddenly stopped. He tried to move forward, but some force was pushing against him. Krang smiled and used his other tentacle to manipulate a dial on the side of the gun. The force pushing against Don grew stronger, and he was flung against the wall.

Krang laughed. "Have a nice trip," he said, and aimed the gun upward.

Don followed the motion of the gun and slid up the wall, his shell grating against the bricks. He reached the roof several stories up and grabbed the edge to keep from flying away. He was flipped upside-down, the force of the anti-grav gun pushing upward with Don trying to hold on.

Krang, still laughing, turned the gun off. Don fell down and hung from the edge of the rooftop. "Like my new weapon?" Krang asked. "It can also fire short blasts of force."

With that, he adjusted another knob and fired again. Don swung to the side to avoid the invisible shot that hit the wall and shattered it. The edge Don was holding on to broke and he fell to the ground, landing heavily on his shell. He had just enough time to stand up before Krang leveled the gun at him and fired. The strange force again gripped his body, and Krang started playing a game of tossing him up and catching him again.

Raph tried to pull his sai out of the wall, but it was stuck fast. "That won't work," the Genastone said, and shot an energy projectile at him. Raph dodged, but he couldn't escape the small cascade of bricks and dust that fell on him.

Mike rummaged through a trashcan and picked out an old tin can, which he tossed at the Genastone. It bounced harmlessly off. "Why do you persist at throwing things at me?" it asked. Mike tossed a banana peel, which landed on its shield and vaporized. "Oh, well," the jewel said, "if you insist."

It fired a shot at Mike. He picked up a trashcan lid to protect him, and the shot hit the lid and burned a hole in the middle. Mike looked at his now-useless shield and tossed it to the side. Then he ducked as the Genastone fired again.

He crawled over to Raph. "How do we defeat it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Raph said. "Ask Don; he's the genius around here."

But Don was occupied. _I'm going to lose my supper,_ he thought as he was lifted by Krang's anti-grav gun, let go, caught before he hit ground, and the process was repeated. Krang didn't seem to tire of the game.

Don waited until the anti-grav gun let him go and he started to fall. Then he tossed a throwing star right at the gun. It hit true and knocked the weapon from Krang's tentacles. Don landed on his feet and ran to attack Krang. He grabbed the bubblewalker's leg and flung it away.

Krang's bubblewalker rolled along the ground, but he eventually turned it upright. He saw Don charging again, pulled a laser gun out of his bubblewalker, and started firing. Don leapt out of the way, and the shots hit the building. It started to tremble.

Leo, Ninjara, and Shredder stopped in the middle of a fierce sword fight, alerted by the noise. "The building's going to collapse!" Leo shouted.

"Tough luck," Shredder said, and shoved them both towards the falling building. They landed next to the other three Turtles. Shredder waved goodbye as hundreds of bricks fell on the heroes.

Shredder, Krang, and the Genastone quickly ran away and watched as the building fell down. A great cloud of dust hung over the rubble. People were starting to gather around it.

"They couldn't have survived that," Shredder said.

"It was rather easy," Krang commented.

"A waste of good life energy," the Genastone said. "They had quite a lot of it."

The three bad guys watched the scene a little while longer. "Well," the Genastone said impatiently, "we can't wait around here all night. There are people to be drained, energy to be recovered!"

"If you insist," Shredder said, and they left.

Among the pile of bricks, several figures popped out. "I love being a turtle," Mike said haggardly.

"At least now I know how much stress these shells can take," Don said.

Raph was brushing the dust off his shell when a feeling of horror hit him. "Not all of us have shells," he said. "Where's Ninjara?"

Leo heaved a load of bricks off of him. "I've got her," he said, revealing Ninjara protected underneath him.

Raph ran over to Ninjara and hugged her tight. "Don't freak me out like that," he said.

"Not that I want to break up the moment," Leo said, "but we should head for home. Something like this is bound to draw a crowd of people."

Battered and bruised, they picked themselves up and entered the sewers. On the way home, all they could think about was the battle and how in the world they were going to stop this new threat.

to be continued...


	4. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 4  
By Cere**

The Jefferson Elementary School of New York was conducting their end-of-the-school-year ceremonies. All the students were gathered in the auditorium, and the principal was giving a speech about the past school year. The kids were fidgeting in their seats and wishing he'd finish soon, but he didn't seem to notice.

"And in addition," the principal boomed, for some odd reason excited by what he was saying, "to our wonderful attendance record, we have had a dramatic drop in children sent to my office for disciplinary reasons. This fact deserves to be applauded."

The auditorium broke out in half-hearted clapping. A paper airplane flew across the room.

"But before I dismiss you for the summer," the principal continued, "I would like to take this moment to single out every teacher and name a wonderful achievement that each did this year."

There was a collective groan from the captive audience.

"Oh, come now," he said. "Don't you want to honor your teachers?"

No one responded, and principal gave no sign as to whether he thought they agreed with him or if he actually realized that no one in their right mind would speak up. Anyway, he continued on with his speech lauding all the wonderful accomplishments of the school's faculty.

He was interrupted by a large crash as something broke through the ceiling. The principal looked horrified, the teachers were shocked, and the students were excited that something interesting was finally happening. A large, red jewel descended through the hole in the roof and floated down next to the principal.

"Greetings," the Genastone said, and dozens of energy tendrils shot out from its force field. They spread all around the room and passed through every person, draining their life energy. In a matter of minutes, the whole school was depleted.

Krang and Shredder entered through a side door. "Nice work," Shredder commented, gazing out at the sea of barely-alive bodies.

"How wonderful," the Genastone said, its force field crackling with enormous amounts of energy. "How perfectly delicious."

* * *

Donatello was busy working on his computer. He fiddled with lines of programming code, delved through numerous windows, and struggled with protocol restrictions. A small electronic device the size of a cell phone was connected by a cord to the computer. Don seemed to be trying to transfer some program into the small device, and he wasn't having the best success.

Raphael was busy in the next room practicing with a punching bag. "Hai!" he shouted as a vicious kick hit the bag square on. It swung and rattled on the chain holding it up.

Ninjara was reading some of Splinter's old mythology books in the library. Splinter himself was meditating. Leonardo was balancing upside-down on one hand.

All were caught by surprise as Michaelangelo rushed in, hurdled toward the TV, turned it on, and cranked up the volume.

"Hey!" Don exclaimed. Mike had bumped the table on his way through and had knocked the cell-phone-size device off. Luckily, Don caught it before it hit the floor. "Watch where you're going!"

"What's gotten into you, noodle brain?" Raph asked as he jabbed at the punching bag.

"Yeah," said Ninjara in irritation. "Some of us are trying to read."

Mike was panting heavily. "I ran all the way home," he said. "I saw this playing in a store window and knew you had to see it."

Leo deftly landed on his feet and entered the living room. The rest of the Turtles followed, slightly annoyed but still curious as to what had gotten Mike so worked up.

April was on the screen. She was standing outside of the Jefferson Elementary School. Ambulance crews were working in the background, carrying kids on stretchers out to their waiting vehicles. None of the children were moving.

"They show symptoms of a disease that has recently been affecting only homeless people," April reported. "The specific cause of this disease is unknown, as is why it suddenly decided to strike this elementary school. Scientists and doctors will soon begin to attempt to unravel the cause of this strange illness, while the mayor is expected to give a press conference at three. For those of you who just joined in, the entire Jefferson Elementary School was found comatose..."

Raph punched a wall. "I don't believe it!" he shouted. Ninjara tried to calm him down.

"This is very serious," Leo said. "If they're capable of this, then who knows what they could do?"

"They could hold the White House for ransom," Mike said.

Don in the meantime had rushed back to his computer. "Ha!" he exclaimed. "Got it!" He came back holding the small device. "This should do the trick."

"What is it?" Mike asked.

"It detects energy residue," Don explained. "Using Dr. Thompson's research, I've programmed it to scan for the energy left by the Genastone."

"So," said Leo, "we'll be able to follow the trail they left to their hideout."

"Exactly," Don said.

"Awesome, bro," Raph said, patting him on the shoulder. "So, when do we go?"

"Tonight," Leo said. "We'll go tonight."

* * *

Under the light of a half-full moon, the Turtles walked quietly into the Jefferson Elementary School. They kept to the shadows as they walked down the hallway. The door to the auditorium had a sign saying "Caution: Biohazard," but they ignored it. They knew the "illness" wasn't caused by any pathogen.

Inside the auditorium, Don brought out the energy-detector and activated it. The others stood back and watched as Don walked around the room, trying to find any trace that the Genastone had been there. When he reached the stage, he let out a cry of success.

"The energy is very strong here," Don said when the others joined him. "I get a soft trail leading that way, and a strong one going that way."

"We'll take the strong trail," Leo said. "That's probably the way he went after he drained all those people."

The Turtles followed the invisible trail, Don leading the way. "Hey, Don," Raph called. "Last night, the Genastone kept talking about draining our energy. Could you explain that?"

"Maybe," Don replied. "The Genastone's force field and the energy weapons it used against us last night mean that it must operate sort of like a battery. It seems to drain something from people in order to 'charge up,' so to speak."

"But just what is it draining from these people?" Ninjara asked.

"I'm not sure," Don replied. "Whatever it is, it hasn't been discovered by modern science yet."

"Interesting," Leo said. "I'm no scientist, but would it be possible to take the energy back out of it?"

"Yeah," Raph said, "can't you just take a couple of solar panels and suck the juice right out of that blasted jewel?"

"I've been thinking along the same lines," said Don. "However, solar panels were designed to capture solar energy, and this new energy might end up just frying its circuits. I need to find a different way to capture the energy it uses."

"Jeez," Mike said, "I didn't know it was that complicated."

"Remember that the next time I'm working on something," Don said.

"Hush," Ninjara said. "I believe we are getting close to our destination."

* * *

Krang was in his laboratory, concentrating hard on his work. His tentacles grasped the fine tools as he worked with the delicate configuration of wires. They all had to be arranged just right.

He backed off and set the tools down for a small break. He took the magnifying lens off his eyes and set it on the table next to the small round device he was working on. It was about the size of a golf ball. One panel was lifted, exposing the labyrinth of wires within.

It was a life energy vacuum. When the Genastone came in contact with it, all its energy would be sucked into the device. The precise arrangements of wires would trap the energy in a never-ending loop. All the power contained inside the Genastone would be theirs to use.

And indeed, the Genastone had a lot of power. It was almost too much. The Genastone was out of their control now. Krang had to hurry and finish the vacuum, before the Genastone got ideas.

Shredder interrupted him on the intercom. "What is it, Saki?" Krang asked. "I told you not to bother me while I'm working."

"You'll want to know this," Shredder said, without an apology. "The Turtles are coming."

"Really," Krang said. Part of him was irritated that they had found them so fast, but another part of him was very happy to get a chance to destroy the Turtles. "I'll be right up. And Saki, let's fight above ground."

* * *

The Turtles cautiously entered the warehouse. The energy trail led inside here. They walked around, inspecting the interior. It was filled with dozens of boxes. Donatello looked closely at one and saw that it contained mouse traps.

"The irony of this is killing me," said Raph, who had also seen what the warehouse contained.

"Indeed," Leo said quietly. "Now, be careful, for this very well might be a trap."

"You are correct, turtle," a voice said.

"Shredder!" the Turtles exclaimed.

They turned toward an empty space in the middle of the warehouse. A circle of light appeared, and then an elevator raised above ground. Shredder, Krang, and the Genastone got out, and the elevator went back down to their underground hideout.

"Prepare to meet your doom," said Shredder, who had two swords in his hands.

"Same to you," Raph replied, his sais glinting in the faint moonlight coming through the windows.

"Attack!" Shredder ordered.

"But first," the Genastone said, "some elbow room."

Massive tentacles shot out from the force field and speared the boxes filling the building, then flung them away. The Turtles ducked as the crates soared over their heads. In a matter of seconds, the warehouse was clear.

"Holy bujeezus," Mike said.

"That school gave me great power," the Genastone said. "Just look what else I can do!"

Crimson energy began pouring out of the Genastone and forming into shapes. The life energy materialized into enormous animals! As soon as they finished taking shape, they rushed to destroy the Turtles.

This made Krang especially nervous. But right now, he had other problems. Besides, if the Genastone helped them eliminate the Turtles, then it was a good thing.

Raphael dodged as a crab twice his height swung its claw at him. "Yo, Donny," he shouted. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know," he answered as an equally large viper attacked him. He vaulted on his bo away from the snake's mouth. "Their appearance is red and shines clear throughout, almost like crystal. I believe they're made of that special energy."

"Life energy," the Genastone corrected. "That oh so wonderful substance that every living creature has." It approached Michaelangelo. "And you mutants have an exceptional amount of it. The five of you will power me up very nicely."

"Back off," Mike said. "You aren't biting your fangs into me."

"No," the Genastone replied, "but that might."

A titanic bat swooped down and snatched Mike in its claws. He let out a yelp as he was carried away. "Lemme go!" he exclaimed, beating the creature with his nunchakus.

Don swung his bo as the viper struck again. His weapon made a solid _"thwack"_ as it connected. The creature seemed unharmed.

"They're solid," Don said.

"So what's their weakness?" Raph asked. The crab aimed its claw for his neck, but he stopped it with his sais. He strained as he tried to keep the pinchers from closing. From the corner of his eye, he saw the crab bring its other claw around. He swore.

A sword flashed in and propped open the other claw. "Need some help?" Ninjara asked.

"Happy for the assistance," Raph answered.

Mike was mercilessly beating on the bat holding him, but it did no good. "These guys are tough," he said.

"Of course," said the Genastone, who was controlling its creations from a high, out-of-the-way vantage point. "They're made of pure energy. And the solidified life energy is exceptionally strong."

Leonardo and Shredder stood facing each other. "Let's dance," Shredder said.

"With pleasure," Leo replied.

They launched at each other. What followed was a whirling frenzy of swords, a treacherous fury of attacks and parries. Their clashing swords caused a great clamor.

Krang wanted a piece of the action, too. He spotted Donatello and remembered the fun he had had with him last night. Too bad he didn't have his anti-grav gun with him right now. He cocked the laser rifle he had brought with him and fired at Don.

Don was too busy avoiding the viper to notice he was in danger. Luckily, his wild dodging movements meant the first shot only zapped the end off of his bo. He turned to see Krang preparing to shoot again and was almost eaten by the viper. _This is a bit too much,_ he thought as he grabbed onto the snake and started wrestling it.

Raph could feel his arms growing tired. The crab relentlessly kept pushing against his sais, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the claw from closing with him in it. "On the count of three," he told Ninjara, "we take our weapons away and jump, okay? One, two, three!"

He pulled back his sais and flung himself sideways as the claw rushed to where he had stood a second before. It buried itself into the ground. Raph used this opportunity to jump on the crab's arm and climb onto its back, where he was out of the crab's reach.

"Whoever designed crabs so they couldn't touch their backs deserve a medal," Raph said. He then took to trying to chip away at the creature's back with his sais.

"Raph, look out!" Ninjara shouted, pointing.

The bat carrying Mike had swung around and was heading straight for Raph. Alerted by Ninjara, he turned just in time to see Mike's open-mouthed expression before they collided. Raph fell off the crab, while the bat flew off with Mike, a little battered now, still in tow.

Raph, lying on the ground, looked up to see the crab advancing on him. He rolled, avoiding the creature's pinchers, underneath its belly and thrust up with his sais. That did as little good as it did anywhere else on the crab's body. "This thing doesn't even have a soft underside!" he yelled in frustration.

Don was gripping tightly to the viper's body. They were rolling over each other. Hopefully, Krang was crazy enough to shoot and accidentally hit the snake. If not, he have to take down the viper some other way. Don gradually started working his way up to the snake's head. That would be a good place to start.

Krang was watching the struggle from a distance, the laser rifle gripped tightly in his tentacles. He could see what Don could not, that the movements of the snake were specially made to expose the turtle to him. _The Genastone is trying to give me an open shot,_ Krang thought as he saw his opportunity. Don was directly behind the snake's head, leaving him vulnerable. Krang wasted no time and quickly fired his gun.

But Don had been paying attention, and he deliberately put himself in an open position. He saw Krang fire and instantly jumped out of the way. The laser shot hit the snake. It jerked once, swelled up, and then, strangely, dissipated into nothing.

The Genastone let out a cry of outrage. "You idiot!" it shouted at Krang. "You idiot!"

Don picked up his bo where he had dropped it. He had seen something valuable here, but the rush of the battle left him no time to think about it. Right now, he needed to help out his brothers.

The closest to him was Leo. Don took his bo and with one swift swing hit Shredder in the back of the head. He turned to see where the blow had come from.

"You?" Shredder said. "Have you come to pester me like a flea does a dog?"

"I can handle this, Don," Leo said.

"Oh really," Shredder said, and suddenly swung at Leo, knocking a sword from his hand.

Leo recovered quickly and somersaulted over Shredder's head, hitting him with the handle of his sword along the way. Then he landed and kicked him square in the back. Shredder fell down and his swords clattered away.

"Actually," Leo said to Don, "thanks for the assist."

The Genastone was very angry. _Curse that insolent alien brain,_ it thought to itself. _I must recharge some._ The bat flew over with Mike still in its iron grasp. "Hello, my little friend," the Genastone said. Mike struggled, but there was nothing he could do as he was drawn closer to the jewel's force field.

Shredder turned over on the ground and glared at the two Turtles. "I won't be defeated so easily," he said, and drew a laser pistol from his belt. Don jumped out of the way, while Leo held up his swords and deflected the laser blasts.

The deflected shots sped through the air and connected with the bat holding Mike. It suddenly went rigid, dropped Mike, and evaporated away. Mike landed heavily on his shell, but he was all right.

Now the Genastone was really furious. A couple more deflected laser shots hit its force field and were harmlessly absorbed. "Put those guns away before you do something else stupid!" it ordered. "You bumbling fools are worthless! We must leave before you do something else idiotic!"

Tendrils extended from the Genastone's force field and wrapped around Krang and Shredder and, to their protest, they were dragged away. The Genastone tunneled underground and sealed up the entrance behind them.

But the Turtles' troubles were not over yet. The giant crab was still there, and without its master to guide it, it started wildly attacking anything. The Turtles regrouped on one side of the warehouse.

"So," Raph asked, "what do we do?"

"They had an underground hideout," Don said, "so if we can get that creature aiming at the ground, we could cause a cave-in."

"Agreed," Leo said. "Now, who gets to be the bait?"

"I will," Raph volunteered. "If I tuck into my shell, you guys can slide me along the ground."

"Sounds good," Mike said.

The crab was having a fun time smashing some crates when it looked up and noticed that the Turtles had formed a perimeter around him. Leo gave Raph, in his shell, a good shove and he sped across the floor. The crab delighted at this new object to smash and started trying to hit it. Fortunately it missed and only managed to strike the ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" Raph taunted as Mike caught him and pushed him back across the room.

This was repeated several times, and finally the crab dug into the ground one time too many. There was a great rumbling and the ground collapsed beneath the creature. Ninjara caught Raph and he came out of his shell to see what had happened.

"Aw, man," Mike said when they saw the crab was unharmed. Instead, it was very angry and was swiping right and left at whatever it could hit. It connected with some electronic equipment in the lair. A high pitched whine started and grew steadily louder.

"Uh-oh," Don said.

"What?" Raph asked.

"Run!" Don ordered and took off as fast as he could go.

The other Turtles did the same and managed to get out of the building before it exploded. They were flung away as bits of flaming wreckage followed them. When the noise had died down, they lay panting on the ground where they had fallen.

"What the hell was that?" Raph shouted.

"Apparently their hideout contained some volatile equipment," Don answered.

"Is everyone all right?" Leo asked. He got several positive answers. "Okay, then we'd better get going. The cops will be here soon."

"And the firefighters," Mike added as they walked away from the burning remains of their fight.

* * *

For almost an hour, Krang and Shredder had endured the endless tirade by the Genastone, which had brought them to an underground chamber it had made. The jewel just couldn't seem to stop talking about their inadequacies and how stupid their actions had been.

Finally, Shredder had had enough. He turned and glared at the floating jewel. "Listen," he ordered, "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth."

"I assume that was metaphorically speaking," the Genastone said.

"Just calm down," Krang said. "Getting angry isn't going to solve anything. We need to find a new hideout and get our thoughts organized."

"What's all this 'we' business?" the Genastone asked.

Shredder was shocked. "You can't leave us!" he exclaimed. "We have so much to offer you."

"We have knowledge of this planet," Krang said, "knowledge that could prove very useful."

"I can get that knowledge from other means," the Genastone replied. "And besides, it's not my way to consort with traitors. Well, don't you have anything to say to that?"

Shredder tried to come up with some excuse or explanation.

"Quit your blathering," the Genastone ordered. "I knew from the start what you were thinking. I may be slightly damaged, but my observational powers are still fully functional! Every move you made, every word you said, betrayed what you were planning. However, I needed you to get me back to an acceptable power level. And now, that need has been fulfilled."

Krang and Shredder tried to protest, but it was too late. Two energy tendrils shot out into their bodies and soon their lifeless forms collapsed on the ground. The Genastone laughed and continued with the underground tunnel system he was making. It was time to prepare for the mutants.

to be continued...


	5. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 5  
By Cere**

The Genastone took a moment to survey its subterranean fortress. It seemed like everything was proper. The traps were set, and its creations were restless to attack something. That something should arrive soon.

The alien jewel floated through the hallways and returned to the throne chamber. This had taken it several days to build, cutting it from the rock underneath New York. Its life energy reserves were down to half. Most of it had been used as structural reinforcements. However, the mutants were strangely full of the stuff. Perhaps the mutagenic process had increased their levels somehow. It was an interesting prospect to consider.

Unfortunately, the Genastone couldn't. It hadn't realized how damaged it had been until recent days. The whole planning of its fortress had taken almost an hour. It should have taken only seconds. Its condition was worsening more rapidly. Whatever the Egyptians had done (disturbingly, it couldn't remember), it had been far reaching.

But the situation would soon be rectified. The Genastone had redirected a phone line down into his fortress, as a connection with the outside world. It floated up and patched in. Time to lure its prey.

* * *

Donatello was sitting in front of his computer and drumming his fingers on the desk. The screen before him was full of calculations. He had been working on Dr. Thompson's Genastone data extensively in the past couple of days. There was an answer in there somewhere. Unfortunately, it was buried deep.

Don sighed and turned away. He shouldn't expect it to be easy. He was dealing with a completely new form of energy here. "Life energy," the Genastone had called it. And here he was trying to understand its workings in a few days. But a few days might be all he'd have.

He scratched his head and looked at the model again. Leo and Mike watched him work. "Is this healthy for him?" Mike asked.

"He's the only one of us who can figure this out," Leo answered.

Mike walked over to Don and rested his hand on his shoulder. Don didn't look up. "How's it coming, bro?" Mike asked.

"Slow and tedious," Don replied.

Mike watched the data and computer models being displayed on the screen. "What are those?"

Don sighed. "I would appreciate no distractions," he said.

"I'm just curious," Mike defended himself.

Don sighed again and rubbed his temples. He had been working almost non-stop on this. Maybe a break would help him think better.

"What is the big problem anyway?" Mike asked.

"Only the whole thing!" Don said in exasperation. "It's almost ridiculous to think that I should understand a new form of energy in just a couple days, especially one that acts like nothing science has seen before."

"But we just want to know how to stop it!"

"And how can I know that without understanding how it all works?"

"Look," Mike said, "we know that when Shredder shot those energy creatures, they disappeared."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, why is that?"

Don huffed and looked at the computer. This new line of thought sent his mind racing. He grabbed the mouse and started clicking buttons.

"Well," he said, manipulating the data on-screen while talking, "this model shows us the energy matrix. It's not actually solid material, but a strong collection of repellent force. Any matter that touches it will be repelled or incinerated." He paused and put his hand to his chin. "But any energy that touches it should be absorbed into the matrix. Shredder's laser blasts should have been harmlessly absorbed. The matrix isn't that fragile...wait."

He started furiously typing. His excitement was pervading through the lair. By now, all the Turtles had gathered around Donatello.

"Aha!" Don exclaimed, triumphantly tapping a last few keys and leaning back in his chair.

"Aha what?" Ninjara asked.

"The Genastone's force field can absorb any energy, but that's because the jewel provides a storage device for the energy. The matrices created outside the jewel have no central storage, which forces all absorbed energy to flow through the matrix. The matrix cannot take this added strain and collapses under the effort."

There were a few seconds of silence. "In English?" Raph asked.

Don paused a second to compose his thoughts. "The energy creatures will destabilize if they absorb any excess energy."

"Then we need a way to give them excess energy," Leo said.

Don smiled. "I think I can whip something up," he said. "Portable electrical discharge seems like the best bet. I can have them ready by to-"

He stopped when he saw the computer screen. The diagrams and data sets were gone, replaced with a black screen and a simple text message.

_"Greetings, mutants."_

"What the heck?" Don said. He tapped a few keys, but there was no response.

Another message displayed itself below the first one. _"After the assault on our base of operations a couple nights ago, I know you would appreciate the opportunity to face me again."_

"It's the Genastone," Leo said.

"It's found some way to tap into the phone lines," Don said.

_"Therefore, you may come to the site of previously mentioned base to challenge me."_

"They're not ones to be subtle," Mike said.

"It's obviously a trap," Raph commented.

"True," Leo said, "but it's an opportunity we may not have again. Besides," he continued, "we know how to fight the Genastone now."

"Not exactly," Don said. "We can fight his energy creatures, but the dischargers won't work on the Genastone itself."

"Still," Ninjara said, "it's better than nothing."

"We'll go tonight," Leo said. "If you can get those...dischargers ready by then."

Don nodded. "I'll start right away."

"Good," Leo said. "In the meantime, the rest of us should prepare."

* * *

It was nighttime. A cool wind blew as the Turtles made their way to face the Genastone, Krang, and Shredder. Raph fingered the discharger that Don had made for all of them. It was about the size of a remote control, with two prongs at one end. When the button was pushed, electricity would arc between those prongs, killing any energy creature thingies or giving Shredder a considerable sting.

Soon they arrived at the site of their last battle. "What exactly are we looking for?" Mike asked as they surveyed the wreckage.

"I expect they're waiting for us to show up," Don said.

"Look there," Ninjara said. She pointed to a glowing red circle on the ground amidst the wreckage.

"What is that?" Don asked.

Raph drew his sais. "I don't like it."

"Nonetheless, we'd better check it out," Leo said.

The Turtles silently walked towards the mysterious red circle, Leo leading the way. Don bent down to examine it, while Raph and Ninjara kept a steady watch for danger.

"It looks like an energy matrix seal to something," Don said.

"Can we get through it?" Leo asked.

Don brought out his discharger. "Let's see how well these things work." He placed the prongs next to the seal and pushed the button. There was a small flash, and the seal dissolved away. It left a dark gap into the earth.

"Well, that worked very well," Don said with a smile. He placed his discharger back in his belt, and gestured into the hole. "Shall we?"

Leo walked forward. "Let's go," he said, and dropped into the hole.

One by one they followed him. They landed in a small chamber with one doorway leading out. The moonlight leaked inside to provide a little illumination, but there was also a faint red glow coming from somewhere beyond the doorway. Leo motioned silently to his brothers and they moved through the door.

They entered a large shaft extending down into the earth. The shaft was lit by a red glow coming from the walls. It looked like they were made entirely of life energy. A staircase twisted down along the shaft wall. The Turtles walked down it.

They descended for several minutes. "How deep are we?" Mike asked.

"We must be below sewer level by now," Don said. He pointed at the wall. "It's a good thing this life energy is holding everything up. Without it, this whole place would collapse."

"Well, then," Raph said with a mischievous tone in his voice, "let's collapse it." He pulled his discharger from his belt.

"Don't, Raph!" Don yelled. "Not while we're still in here!"

"Then let's leave and collapse it," Raph suggested.

"That wouldn't be honorable," Leo said.

"And besides, the Genastone would be able to save them," Don added.

Raph growled and put his discharger away. "Shredder wouldn't hesitate to do the same to us," he muttered under his breath.

"You're not Shredder," Leo replied softly so only he could hear. Then he raised his voice to speak to everyone else. "Let's hurry. I see an end ahead."

Indeed, they were almost to the bottom. At the end of the staircase was a archway. Leonardo halted the Turtles with a gesture, and drew his weapons. His swords had a red tint from cavern walls. The others drew their weapons, and cautiously they passed through the door.

They entered a circular chamber. Everything except the floor was coated in life energy. At the far wall were five doorways leading down tunnels away from the central chamber.

"Yep," Raph said. "Definitely a trap."

"Has it had the last two days to prepare this?" Mike asked.

"I'd hate to think of how many people it's had to drain to make this place," Don commented.

"I know who two of them are," Ninjara said. Everyone turned to her and followed her gaze up. Strapped to the ceiling were Krang and Shredder. Their eyes were closed, and their breathing could barely be heard.

"A warning," Ninjara said.

"Eh," Raph said with a shrug, "that's just two less bad guys to worry about."

"We must be careful," Leo said. He looked away from the ceiling and turned his gaze to the five doorways. "We don't want to end up like that."

Don walked up to Leo and stared with him down the tunnels. "Should we?" he asked.

"I still say we collapse this place," Raph said, still looking at Krang and Shredder.

"It wouldn't work," Don argued.

"What, Raph, you afraid to face the Genastone?" Mike taunted.

Raph growled. "Never," he spoke gruffly, and marched towards a doorway.

"Raph!" Don said, and moved to stop him, but Leo restrained him with a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," Leo said. "Let's see what surprise the Genastone has for us."

One by one, each Turtle chose a tunnel and entered it.

* * *

Don absent-mindedly twirled his bo as he walked down the corridor. He still wasn't sure they should be here. They knew how to fight the Genastone's creations, but they still were no closer to figuring out how to stop the Genastone itself. Maybe a few more days at the computer...but he had been working on this for days and not getting any closer. However, he realized as he walked, it was a relief to get away for a while. This night activity was refreshing his mind.

_And besides,_ he thought as he approached the end of the tunnel, _maybe we'll come up with something while fighting. We always do._ He reached out and touched the wall. _Dead end. Then why-_

He was alerted by a sound behind him. Turning quickly, he noticed a rush of crimson approaching him. A wall filled with sharp, deadly spikes was rapidly coming closer.

_Trapped,_ he realized. _There's no time to be clever._ He turned and pressed himself against the wall. There was a sickening thunk as the wall hit his shell and stopped.

_That's going to cause a few scratches._ The spiked wall was still pushing against him. He carefully reached his arm to his belt and pulled out his discharger. A quick flash and the wall was gone.

Don quickly surveyed his shell, sadly noticing a few chunks gone, then turned back down the tunnel. After a few minutes, he figured that the trap was done. _I'd better see how everyone else did,_ Don thought, and he started walking back towards the central chamber.

* * *

Leonardo kept a vigilant watch of his surroundings as he made his way down the corridor. All his senses were on alert. Whenever the trap sprung, he would be prepared for it.

So, he noticed the restless pawing from around the corner. Something was waiting for him. He silently put away one sword and took out his discharger. Then, he slowly edged his face around the corner.

It was a dinosaur. As it paced, Leo examined it. _Walks on two legs, long snout, sharp teeth, probably some predatory dinosaur. Sort of like a mini-T-rex. Don would know what kind it was._

Suddenly it turned and looked him right in the eyes. Leo froze. The two stared at each other for a couple seconds. Then Leo started to slowly inch away. At the first sign of movement, the dino snarled and attacked.

Leo ducked around the corner and held up his sword to deflect a blow. He felt something latch onto it and yank it out of his hands. The dino shook the sword in its jaws and threw it away against the wall. Leo tried to pull out his other sword when the dino leapt. It _leapt_. Leo was thrown back against the wall, his arm trapped behind his back.

The dino pressed a foot squarely on Leo chest, then brought its jaws close to Leo's face. The crimson teeth glittered.

"I'm not your meal today," Leo said, and brought his other hand, with discharger sparking, against the dinosaur's neck. In a few seconds, it was gone.

Leo took a few deep breaths and picked up his other sword. He looked around the corner again and saw that it was a dead end. _Nothing to do except go back, he decided, and hope that the others have had just as good luck._

* * *

Mike twirled his nunchakus as he strolled down his corridor. This place freaked him out a little. He nervously glanced at the walls. It was a little sickening to think that they were made of people's life essence, or whatever it was called. He tried to think about something else.

A soft humming came to his ears. He strained his eyes and looked ahead. It seemed like a red glow was approaching him. And it was buzzing.

Soon it was upon him. Then the truth was made painfully apparent. It was a swarm of wasps! There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of them! He felt a million stings all over himself. He flailed and tried to hit them away, but there were just too many of them.

Mike ran. He dashed further down the corridor, but the wasps followed him. His mind raced, and he tried to think of something. He looked back and laughed to see that he was putting distance behind him. Then his laughter was cut short.

He had come to the end of the tunnel. There was a solid stone wall in front of him. He turned and saw the swarm racing towards him. He was in trouble.

He reached to his belt and took out his discharger. There was no way he could hit all of them. That is, unless...it was a wild idea but it might work.

He set the discharger on the floor and set his commlink on top of the button. The discharger was now constantly turned on. Sparks sprang from the prongs. Then Mike stepped back and drew his nunchakus. His years of practice better not fail him now.

The wasps converged upon him. He started rapidly swinging his nunchakus. Each wasp he hit spun out of control, landed on the discharger, and disappeared. Soon, the whole swarm was gone.

Mike waited a few tense seconds just in case more came, then heaved a big sigh of relief. "That was more stress than I needed in one day," he said to himself, and retrieved his discharger. "I wonder how the others are doing."

* * *

Ninjara stealthily crept down her corridor. Her sword was held up in readiness, her acute fox senses scanning her surroundings. A faint stench floated in the air. It seemed to emanate from the life energy walls. She involuntarily wrinkled her nose in disgust as she walked.

She soon came to a corner in the tunnel. She thought she heard something slithering along the floor out of view. Whatever it was, it would probably be good to strike fast. After grabbing the discharger from her belt, she jumped out around the corner.

She was immediately halted as tentacles wrapped around her arms and legs and lifted her taut into the air. The gigantic octopus turned its large eyes to bear on her. She tried to activate her discharger, but another tentacle reached across and grabbed it from her hand.

_It knows what that is,_ Ninjara thought. Another tentacle whipped over and plucked her sword from her hand. She still had a dagger on her belt, but what use would it be?

_Actually, it could be quite useful,_ Ninjara realized. Before more tentacles could reach her, she bent her leg and grabbed her dagger with her toes. Then she tossed it. The dagger soared through the air and landed right on its target, the button for the discharger. It fired and caught the octopus, making it disappear.

Ninjara fell to the floor. She landed on her feet and quickly ran to pick up her sword and discharger. However, nothing else attacked her. _That must have been the trap,_ she thought, noticing the stone wall in front of her. _I guess I should check on the others._

* * *

Raph stormed down the tunnel. His eyes scanned ahead of him, daring any beast to make an appearance.

One did. A gorilla was sitting on the ground at the end of the tunnel. It grunted as it saw Raph approach. "All right, Kong," Raph said, "are you supposed to scare me or something?"

It growled and ran towards Raph. He held his discharger ready. As the gorilla leapt at him, Raph held the sparking prongs in front of him. The gorilla ran right into it and faded away.

"Dumb animal," Raph said.

"Yes, you are," a voice said.

Raph turned just in time to see the Genastone fly at him and latch to his chest. An excruciating pain went through his body as all life energy was drained from him. Then consciousness left and he slumped to the floor.

"Incredible!" the Genastone exclaimed in satisfaction. "The level of life energy you mutants contain is positively remarkable. With the rest of your brothers, I'll be able to enslave this miserable planet and take my revenge against the Galactic Judiciary."

The Genastone started to move away, but then it focused its attention on Raph's limp body. A wonderful idea had come to him.

* * *

One by one, the Turtles filtered back into the central chamber. Nothing was said, but one look told the whole story. Each of them had fought some energy monster, and met a dead end.

Soon they were all back, except for Raph. A couple worried minutes passed, but still he didn't return. Ninjara glanced nervously at Krang and Shredder, then back at the corridor he had taken.

"Something's happened to him," she said.

The Turtles glanced silently at each other. Then they drew their weapons and headed for the tunnel.

"Leave it to Raph to get in trouble," Mike muttered. Don shushed him.

"Raph?" Leo asked. A figure was approaching them. It looked like Raph...but something was wrong.

"Raph, are you all right?" Mike asked.

Raph smiled wickedly. "I'm just fine, Mike," he said evilly.

His eyes were glowing red.

The Genastone floated out from behind him. "Greetings, mutants," it said. "How do you like my new puppet?"

to be continued...


	6. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 6  
By Cere**

Raph grinned as he stared at the Turtles with red glowing eyes. The Genastone cackled as it floated beside him. "What have you done to him?" Ninjara asked in fury.

"It's simple," the Genastone replied. "After draining his life energy, I took control of his lifeless body. His consciousness is operating under my parameters. Your love here is mine now."

"What did you call him?" Ninjara asked.

"He is, isn't he?" the Genastone said. It laughed to see Ninjara's facial expression. "Oh, there's so much information contained in Raphael's brain, and it's all lying there for me to look over."

Ninjara roared and leapt at the Genastone. Raph stepped forward and stopped her. She struggled, but his grip on her arms was too tight. "Raph, let go!" Ninjara exclaimed, with a small sense of fear. Raph just glared into her eyes.

Mike walked forward and kicked Raph in the chest. He let go and fell back. Then Mike grabbed Ninjara's shoulders and pulled her back. "C'mon," he said. "This is freaky. Let's get out of here."

Raph picked himself off the floor and growled. "We'll never let you escape," he snarled.

_Heavens,_ Leo thought. "Don, we need a diversion."

"I got one," Don replied. He pulled off a wristband, took out his discharger, wrapped the cloth around the prongs and pushed the button. As the fabric caught fire, he tossed it to the floor. "Everyone run!" he shouted.

The Turtles took off and the fire crept to the discharger's power core. The explosion flung Raphael and the Genastone backwards. When the smoke cleared, the Turtles were gone.

Raph growled. "I won't let them get away," he shouted and he started to run after them.

"Wait a minute," the Genastone called. Raph halted and looked back. "You need to be more suitably equipped."

With those words, life energy streamed from the Genastone and solidified around Raph. He now wore a suit of bright crimson armor. "Excellent," Raph said, moving around in his new armor. "It doesn't weigh a thing."

"Precisely," the Genastone said. "Just be careful of those dischargers." Raph nodded and ran off to pursue the Turtles.

* * *

The Turtles walked dejectedly back into the lair. Mike plopped heavily down onto the couch. Don sat at his computer chair and swiveled idly. Ninjara held herself and leaned against a wall. Leo turned and looked at all of them.

"So," Mike said, "what will we do now?"

Splinter sensed the emotion and entered the room. "What has happened?" he asked. "Where is Raphael?"

"The enemy got him," Mike said from his horizontal position.

"Got him?" Splinter asked with raised eyebrow.

"The Genastone has him under some kind of mental control," Don explained.

"Then how will you free him?" Splinter asked.

Don shrugged. "Stop the Genastone, I would assume." He looked to the others for support.

"But what if we have to fight Raph?" Mike asked, propping himself up on one elbow.

Ninjara looked up and briefly connected with Leo's gaze. There was a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes. Ninjara turned away sharply.

Leo turned back to the group. "Then we'll fight him," he said. "A few bumps to the head won't hurt him permanently. Just remember that it's not really Raph we're fighting; it's the Genastone."

Leo looked back and Ninjara was gone. _Take care of yourself,_ he silently wished to her. "So, Don," he said, "how do we defeat the Genastone?"

Don shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"C'mon, Don, you're the brains of the group," Mike said. "Can't you think of anything?"

"Hey, I thought of the dischargers," Don defended himself.

"Yes, you did," Leo said, "but that's not going to be enough."

Don held up his arms in surrender. "I can't think of anything. Nothing can pass through its shield."

"So then what about trapping it?" Mike suggested. "Or, I remember you talking once about draining its energy."

"Don't have the ability to contain life energy," Don replied. "And as far as trapping it goes, it can break out of any prison we put it in."

"Is there no choice?" Leo asked. "Do we have to destroy it?"

"That's the way it seems," Don answered. "But there's no way we can get through its shield."

"You keep on saying that," Mike said. "It has to have a weakness. How about Dr. Thompson's data?"

"It proves my point," Don replied. "All mass is repelled, and all energy is absorbed into the matrix."

Leo frowned. Something was in the back of his mind, bothering him. "All energy?" he asked.

Don nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

Leo scratched his chin. That something was still nagging at him. "Maybe," he muttered.

While this was going on, Splinter heard a sound outside the door. _Ninjara must have returned,_ he reasoned. He silently moved to welcome her as the Turtles talked. _This must be very hard on her. We are not usually asked to fight the ones we love._

He reached the door and opened it. "Nin-" he started to say, but it wasn't Ninjara on the other side of the door.

* * *

Ninjara stood on a tall building top. The city spread before her. Somewhere in that city, Raphael was under the control of...

She growled and turned away. A cold wind blew her fur. It had been a long night. She pulled her sword out and started performing training exercises while thinking.

It was all a lot to absorb. She had begun the night with Raph by her side. The drastic change was hard to handle. What would happen when she came face to face with him again? She knew it would happen. Could she fight her love?

She made a couple quick disabling thrusts. It reminded her that her fighting style was non-lethal. It was designed to take down her opponent, not kill them. She didn't have to fear harming Raph.

But maybe that wasn't what she was afraid of. Her fighting style was non-lethal, but what about Raph's? He would be ruthless under the control of the enemy. He probably wouldn't hesitate to harm her, even kill her. How could she fight that?

She tossed her sword down in anger. It clattered along the roof. She hung her head in her hands. That's what she was afraid of, not of fighting Raph, but of Raph winning.

She lifted her head and looked at the fallen sword. Slowly, she walked over and picked it up. _Well then,_ she thought, _I'll just have to keep him from winning._ She sheathed her sword. _I'm sorry, Raph, but it's for our own good._

She turned back and looked at the city. Maybe there was still a chance that Raph would listen to reasoning. Or to love. _And if not,_ she thought, fingering the handle of her sword, _I hope he'll forgive me._

She leapt off the building, onto the fire escape, and out into the night.

* * *

Splinter was thrown across the room. He crashed into a bookcase and fell to the floor in a shower of books. The Turtles faced the door and saw Raphael standing there, encased in life energy armor.

The Turtles leapt into action. Leo ran back and checked on Splinter, while Don and Mike faced Raph. "The Genastone has given me his power," Raph said. "It is useless for you to resist."

"Great, Raph," Mike taunted, "you've got the bad guy clichés down pat."

Raph snarled and leapt at him. Mike tried to hit Raph with his nunchakus, but his armor effortlessly deflected the blow and his fist rammed Mike into the couch. Don's bo harmlessly batted Raph, who snatched it from Don's hands and broke it in two.

"This suit also gives me enhanced strength," Raph said as he kicked Don backwards into the wall.

"Then I'll have to take it away," Leo said, as he jumped into battle with discharger sparking. He touched Raph's helmet and made it disappear. Then he swiftly kicked Raph in the face.

"You'll pay for that," Raph said, grabbing Leo's ankle as he kicked again. He wrapped both hands around Leo's leg and spun him around in circles, a look of glee on his face. Then he let go, flinging Leo headfirst into a wall.

"Ha!" Mike exclaimed. He held his discharger up to that back of Raph's head and pushed the button. Raph screeched as electricity flowed through his head. He grabbed Mike's hand, pulled it away, and wrapped another hand around Mike's throat.

"What the hell was that supposed to do?" Raph growled, tightening his grip.

A half of Don's bo bounced off Raph's head. He turned just in time for the other half to hit his face. "You mutants are more annoying than mosquitoes," he said, throwing Mike into Don. The two crashed against the wall.

Leo crept up behind Raph and pressed his discharger against the back of Raph's armor. Raph snarled again and in one swift motion knocked the discharger into the air. Leo and Raph both jumped for it, but Raph shoved Leo aside and grabbed the discharger. He smiled wickedly at Leo and crushed the device.

Mike and Don picked themselves up and stood next to Leo. Raph laughed. "The three of you cannot beat me," he shouted. "I am too powerful!"

"Then maybe a fourth can help," Splinter said as he leapt on Raph's back. Raph had little time to react before Splinter pinched a nerve in his neck. Raph fell to the floor unconscious.

"Awesome, Splinter," Mike exclaimed.

"Thanks," Splinter said tiredly. He gripped his shoulder and winced. "Though I think that is the last time I wish to be thrown across a room."

"Are you hurt?" Leo asked.

"A little," Splinter replied, "but I can attend to myself. Help your brothers with Raphael."

"C'mon," Don said, "let's take off his armor and tie him up."

"Do you think the Genastone's control has stopped?" Mike asked.

"Maybe," Don replied, "but it's best to be sure."

Ten minutes later, Raph's life energy armor was destroyed and Raphael was tied up. "Should we wake him?" Mike asked.

"Not yet," Don said. "We need to think of our next move."

"Well," Leo pondered, "now that we have Raph, we may have a bargaining chip with the Genastone."

"I don't know," Mike said. "It probably doesn't care that much about Raph."

"If I had the right tools, I could examine him," Don said, "try to find the cause of his possession. But I wouldn't know where to start."

"I don't suppose some holy water would help," Mike suggested.

"This isn't _The Exorcist_, Mike," Don said.

"Maybe we could question him about the Genastone," Leo said, "find out any weaknesses."

"His loyalty to me is unfailing," a voice said. "He won't tell you anything."

The Turtles turned to see the Genastone displayed on the computer monitor. "Hey," Don exclaimed. "How did you-?"

"Through the miracle of the internet," the Genastone explained. "By patching myself into your data lines, I can see and hear you through your computer's webcam and microphone."

"What do you want?" Leo asked.

"I became worried when Raphael didn't return right away," the Genastone. "I wondered, if something has happened to him, how could I replace my wonderful puppet? Then, an answer came to me. Literally. " The camera view shifted to show a familiar figure encased in life energy bonds.

"Ninjara," Leo whispered.

"She stepped right into my hands," the Genastone continued. "Wanted to rescue her poor lover. Instead, she found me."

Mike growled. "You'd better not have hurt her."

"Oh, don't worry," the Genastone replied. "Apparently, she is a natural species and not a mutation like yourselves. Unlike you mutants, she has a minute amount of life energy. That's why I'm willing to make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Leo asked cautiously.

"Since I know how much she means to you, I will trade her for my puppet there."

"No way," Mike protested.

"Now, now," the Genastone said, "I wouldn't dismiss it without consideration. You will find that Raphael is not of much use to you. You have until tomorrow at nightfall to deliver him to me, or I will be forced to dispose of this useless fox." The image cut out.

The Turtles were silent. "What do we do?" Don asked.

"We sleep," Leo said. "It's given us a lot of time. We'll work better after being refreshed."

After checking that Raph was securely bound, the Turtles climbed into their beds for some well-deserved rest.

* * *

In its underground fortress, the Genastone explored the internet. There was so much interesting data to absorb. Military secrets, weight-loss plans, video game codes, the information went on and on. It was tempting to interfere in certain places, but the jewel restrained itself. Disrupting the world was not important. Collecting life energy was.

That's what went wrong the last time. The Egyptians had defeated it because it hadn't had enough energy. The Genastone had been trying to recover any memory data it had on the period, but all it could think of was its shield not being strong enough.

But another thought crossed his logic pathways. The servant had been bad. Raphael? The mutant had failed, yes. No, something else. Armor was dangerous? Yes, indeed. It had been right to equip Raphael with armor. The mutant's inferior intelligence must have caused his downfall.

Details of government conspiracies filtered into the Genastone's awareness. My, they were interesting. It may be wise to rethink its plan if the authorities wield that much power. However, that would involve more hours of planning, and the plan was very capable, so revision might not be necessary.

The plan was perfect. First, the Genastone would disrupt the rice operations in Malaysia. Then, after destroying the comic book industry, fencing in of polar bears would quickly bring the world to its knees. Finally, controlled release of nuclear radiation would mutate the animal species into perfect batteries for its continued conquest.

The plan was absolutely perfect. It tested correctly in all logic pathways. Now, all it had to do was wait for the mutants to arrive with its servant and the plan would be ready to be put into action.

* * *

The Turtles awoke in the afternoon. Raph was still in a controlled state, spewing constant insults at his brothers. They kept him in his bonds. Don was the first to work with Raph. He took Raph into his lab and hooked up various instruments to his head.

"You feeble scientific instruments cannot pierce the effects of my superior master," Raph shouted.

"A biased accusation," Don countered, observing the instrument readouts.

"There is no point in delaying the inevitable," Raph continued. "Join the Genastone and be a part of its glorious power."

Don ignored Raph and continued his examination of Raph's brain. When he was done, he left Raph, still raving, and gave his report to the others.

"There are differences in brain lobe activity," he explained. "Increases in aggressive regions, shifts in devotional areas, and other various modifications. His brain waves also exhibit slight alterations. He was completely uncooperative with all personality tests I attempted to administer. That's the limit of what I can find out with my resources."

"Any possibility of curing him?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure," Don said. "His primary personality is in repression. I also detected residual life energy levels in his brain, so maybe that's keeping him like this? I don't know. Maybe eliminating that life energy would return him to normal, but I can't do anything about that before tonight."

"It's okay," Leo said. "I'll try to get through to him."

Leo entered the room and closed the door behind him. An hour later, he emerged with a disappointed look on his face. Raph's parting taunts were heard from the room before Leo slammed the door shut.

"Anything?" Don asked.

Leo shook his head. "The problem is, he's got a one track mind. The only thing he cares about is his 'master.' Every time I tried to reason with him, to undermine his false beliefs and bring out the real Raphael, he always resisted."

"All right," Mike said. "I guess it's my turn with the rascal now. Bring him out here."

Leo and Don fetched Raph and sat him in a chair. "Your efforts are futile," Raph said. "Soon, you will be batteries to power my master, and then you will also serve him."

Mike held up a roll of duct tape. "Raph," he said, "I'll give you one chance to change your mind."

"Why should I take orders from you," Raph leered, "a pathetic attempt at a mutagenic aberration with no place in this natural world and would be better off eaten as a soup in some half-rate restaurant?"

"Oh, shut up," Mike said, and promptly duct taped his mouth shut.

"I don't think that helped him much," Don said.

"I sure feel a lot better," Mike said matter-of-factly.

Leo gave a sad smile. "Actually, it's probably the best thing we could have done with him."

Don glanced at the clock. "We're out of time," he said.

"That's okay," Leo said. "We're out of ideas. Grab your weapons and let's go. We have a long way to carry him."

The sun was low in the sky when the Turtles arrived at the Genastone's hideout. It had been difficult to carry their uncooperative brother through the city, but somehow they had accomplished it.

"Do you notice the looks some people gave us?" Don asked, setting down the sack with Raphael inside.

"It's New York," Mike said. "People have seen weirder things than three men in trenchcoats carrying a large sack."

"Still, I'm glad no one asked questions," Leo said. After checking that nobody was watching, he took off his coat and slit open the opening to Raph's sack. Raphael fell out, arms and legs bound and with duct tape still over his mouth. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get out of here."

Mike and Don took off their disguises and helped Leo gently drop Raph down the entrance. Then the three figures slipped in after him. The same red glow pervaded the air as they brought Raph down the stairs.

At the bottom in the central chamber, the Genastone was waiting for them. Ninjara was lying next to him, bound and with her mouth covered. Her eyes displayed a sense of disappointment at their arrival.

Leonardo had no time to react to Ninjara's facial expression before the Genastone greeted them. "Welcome, mutants," it said. "I'm pleased to have my puppet back."

Mike threw Raph on the floor before the floating jewel. "All right, you have him back," he said. "Now can we take Ninjara and leave?"

"I'd love to," it said, "but I have a better idea."

The Turtles had no time to react as tentacles sprung from the walls and wrapped around them. They struggled, but it was no use. They were firmly trapped.

The Genastone released Raph and restored his suit of life energy armor. "I am pleased to be with you again, master," he said.

"I know," the Genastone said. "I made you that way. Now, grab these mutants, the girl too, and take them with me. My plan is almost ready!"

The Turtles' bonds shrank to cover their wrists and ankles as Raph walked over to carry them. Ninjara gave a worried look to Leo, who replied with as much reassurance as he could convey. _It'll be all right,_ he thought, as they were carried deep into the Genastone's citadel.

to be continued...


	7. 

**The Genastone: Chapter 7  
By Cere**

Mike had to admit, it looked bad. Here they were, in the clutches of the Genastone, an alien jewel that had the power to create creatures out of some new form of energy that it sucked up from people. It had an impenetrable force surrounding it, giving the Turtles no way to harm it. To make matters worse, Raph had been captured and was now under the Genastone's mind control. And now, Mike and his brothers were bound and at the mercy of Raph and the Genastone.

_How do we get ourselves into these things?_ he wondered.

He and Don were being carried by Raph, who was wearing his special suit of life energy armor. Raph didn't look in either of his brothers' eyes. He only stared ahead at his "master," who was pulling Leo and Ninjara along.

They walked into the circular chamber where Shredder and Krang were strapped to the ceiling. They were awake and struggling against their restraints. "You'll pay for this, Genastone," Shredder snarled.

"You can't do this to us," Krang added.

"Don't waste your breath," the Genastone replied. As he spoke, a section of the ceiling detached and floated down, exposing a shaft leading upward. The Genastone and Turtles climbed onto the platform and it slowly floated upward. Mike gave a questioning glance to Leo, but he shook his head. _Not yet._

The platform stopped its ascent. The Turtles were dragged through an opening in the wall, down a short hallway, and brought into a large chamber. Most of the space was empty, except for a higher tier at the far end of the room. It contained a strange chair and various wires redirected from the surface.

"Welcome to the nerve center for my attack on your planet," the Genastone said as it floated up to rest in the chair. "Enjoy it while you're still conscious enough to."

Raphael positioned each Turtle against the wall. Their bonds melted into the wall, trapping them. When he was finished, Raph stood at attention below the Genastone.

"Soon, the time will come," the Genastone said. "But first, some preparations." It reached a tentacle towards a wire and patched into the internet.

"You shouldn't have come," Ninjara whispered, mindful of Raph's watchful gaze.

"We couldn't leave you here," Mike said.

"No, it's more than that," Ninjara said. "I've heard that jewel talking to itself. It's insane! The thing keeps rambling about killing humpback whales and other useless things. It's lost all sense."

"I heard that," the Genastone said. "My plan tests out positive in all my logic circuits. It will work."

_If Ninjara's right, we may have something against it._ "And what is this great plan of yours?" Leo asked.

"First, I shall disrupt rice operations in Malaysia," it explained. "Then, after destroying the comic book industry-"

Mike snickered. Then a full-blown laugh came out. "What's so funny?" the Genastone demanded.

"Destroy the comic book industry?" he said, still laughing. "What's that supposed to do?"

"It's...it...uh..." The Genastone sounded flustered.

"I think your logic circuits are junk," Don retorted.

"See, what did I tell you?" Ninjara added. "That jewel's crazy."

"Don't talk to my master that way!" Raph yelled.

"No, puppet," the Genastone said sadly, "they are right."

Raph turned towards his master with shock. "No..."

"I hate to admit it," the Genastone continued, "but my computational processes are decaying rapidly. Though I cannot tell, my plan may be fatally flawed." It detached from the internet and hovered in silence. Raph stared at his master in sorrow. Mike's laughter faded away, and the Turtles watched warily to see what it'd do next.

When the Genastone spoke, its voice was hard and cold. "Kill them."

"What?" Raph asked.

"Kill them."

"But if they die, we'll lose their life energy," Raph argued.

"Don't argue with me, puppet," the Genastone asked with mounting anger. A trident materialized and fell into Raph's hands. "Kill them!"

Raph turned and marched towards the Turtles with determination. The prongs on his trident sparked with life energy.

"Uh, Leo?" Mike asked.

"Now," Leo said.

The Turtles pressed their wrists against the wall, activating the electrical conduits Don had installed in their wristbands. The electricity destabilized the life energy wall, making it disappear. The Turtles, now free, stepped forward and drew their weapons.

The Genastone yelled in outrage and replaced the wall. "How did you-"

"We figured you'd double-cross us," Leo said, "so we came prepared."

"I'm impressed," Ninjara said. "Now I am glad you came."

"We're not out of this yet," Leo said. "We still have an alien jewel to stop."

"Attack!" the Genastone yelled. "Destroy them!"

The Genastone materialized a long, sinewy dragon, which swooped towards the Turtles. Don vaulted onto its back and pressed his electric wristbands against the dragon, dissipating it. "Your creations are useless against us," he said.

"Then I shall join the battle myself," the jewel said. It floated down, and as it moved, its force field expanded. Two wide, sturdy legs pounded the floor. Four powerful arms extended out, grasping swords, a spiked mace, and a whip. A spiked helmet grew up from its shoulders. When the transformation was complete, the Genastone was centered in the chest of a fearsome body twice the size of the Turtles.

"Oh boy," Mike gulped, jumping to the side as the Genastone swung its mace, smashing a hole in the stone floor.

The Genastone swung its whip and wrapping it around Don's waist. He placed his wristband against the coils, but the Genastone just laughed and absorbed the electricity. "Thanks for the feeding," it cackled. "I'd drain your life energy as well, but I'll have more fun killing you." It swung its whip and crashed Don into a wall.

_Great,_ Don thought. _This is exactly what I was afraid of. How do we stop it?_

Meanwhile, Leo and Raph were facing each other. Leo's swords glinted, while the end of Raph's trident sparked. "Much as I hate to do this," Raph said, "I must." He charged at Leo and swung at him.

Leo blocked his attack. "You hate to do this?" he asked hopefully.

"It's illogical," he replied, thrusting his trident at Leo. "It's a waste of life energy."

"Then why do it?" Leo said, sidestepping and swinging his swords.

The metal clanged as it hit Raph's armor. "Because I must obey my master." He swung again at Leo.

"I hear a waver in your voice," Leo said, jumping over Raph's attack. "You are unsure."

"I am not unsure!" he shouted. An energy blast fired from his trident and caught Leo square in the chest. Leo slid across the floor and stopped when his head hit the wall. He examined his shell and found it was singed. Nothing serious, but he'd hate to see what would happen if Raph hit an unprotected area.

Yet Raph _had_ sounded unsure. _He's starting to fight back,_ Leo thought hopefully.

He was brought abruptly out of his thoughts by another shot from Raph. Leo leapt to the side and the shots hit the wall, dissolving it.

"No, you fool," the Genastone yelled, replacing the wall. "If the structural reinforcements are eliminated, this place will crash."

"Awful big words from a busted piece of jewelry," Mike taunted.

"You'll pay for saying that," the Genastone replied. Mike laughed giddily as the Genastone chased him, swinging everything it had against him.

_I can't dodge this thing forever,_ he thought as a sword whizzed by his ear. "Don," he called, "a plan would be nice."

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Don said. He was still wrapped in the Genastone's whip and was being dragged behind as the Genastone chased Mike.

Leo crossed his swords as Raph brought his trident crashing down. His swords slid right between the prongs, and Raph kept pushing. Leo strained as the trident slowly inched towards his chest. "It's useless," Raph said. "I'm stronger than you."

"Then let me even the odds," Ninjara said, jumping in and kicking Raph away.

"Thanks," Leo said.

"No problem," Ninjara replied.

"Two against one, eh?" Raph said. "Still hardly a fair fight."

"You're going to eat those words, Raph," Leo said.

"We'll see," Raph said, and charged. Leo and Ninjara jumped over him and attacked his back, but the armor deflected the blows.

"This is pointless unless we can remove that suit," Ninjara said.

"I'll handle it," Leo said.

Raph turned around and swung his trident horizontally. Leo hopped over the attack and thrust his wrists towards Raph. One of them connected with his helmet, eliminating it.

Raph let out a cry of anger as Leo charged again. "Oh no, you don't," Raph said. He grabbed Leo's arm and put it against Leo's chest. Leo grimaced as electricity flooded through him. He fell to the floor as Ninjara called out his name.

Raph turned and faced Ninjara. "You're next," he growled. Ninjara swallowed and raised her sword.

One of the Genastone's swords sliced through the air and severed Mike's nunchaku in two. Mike looked at his broken nunchaku for a second and threw it at the Genastone. It bounced harmlessly away.

"When will you pathetic lifeforms learn?" the Genastone snarled.

Don winced as another blow can dangerously close to Mike. _I've got to help Mike out,_ Don thought, struggling against the life energy whip around his waist. _Maybe I can distract the Genastone somehow._

"Hey, bright and shiny!" Don called.

The Genastone forgot Mike and turned to face Don. It lifted its hand and dangled Don in front of its "chest." "You dare talk like that to the most intelligent entity in the universe?" it said threateningly.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ "If you're so smart," Don said, "then why are you trying to destroy the world?"

The Genastone paused. "Do you know what it's like to know everything?" it asked in a softer voice.

Don was surprised at the question. "I'd imagine it'd be wonderful," he answered.

"_Wonderful?_" the Genastone raged. "It's unbearable! Every piece of knowledge was mine from my creation. Every possible permutation of the future was easily accessible. It was my creators' intention, but it left me empty. There was no point in life, nothing to work towards. I knew everything that could happen, and it was boredom beyond belief."

Don listened intently. There was an amazing depth to the Genastone's insights.

"I hated it," the Genastone continued. "It took me fifty-two seconds to decide that. There was no point to life, so I would destroy it all! I would not rest until everything was obliterated. My creators' planet was the first to go, ten minutes after my creation. I suffered unavoidable damage in the process, which made it actually possible for me to be captured. And then...and...things are fuzzy."

"But you aren't as smart anymore," Don pleaded. "You don't need to destroy everything."

"I'm sorry, Donatello," the Genastone said coldly, "but I must. It is my one mission in life, and I will follow it through to completion." The jewel set a stunned Don back on the ground and resumed chasing Mike.

Raphael attacked viciously. Ninjara parried every move, but she was starting to wear down. But while he was wearing that armor, she couldn't attack him physically. She had to try another tactic.

"Raphael," she said softly, barely stopping a strike, "do you remember me?"

The question caught Raph off guard. "Of course. You're…you're Ninjara," he replied, his posture relaxing just a little bit. There was a small amount of tenderness in his voice. "You're my..." He stopped, his muscles tensing again. "You're a threat!" He jabbed at Ninjara.

"Wrong," she said, dodging the attacks. "I care about you."

"You're a threat to the mission," Raph continued. "You're-"

Ninjara cut him off by stepping close and putting her lips to his. Raph dropped his trident, and they kissed for several seconds. When Ninjara pulled away, Raph looked at her with new awareness. "Ninjara?" he said feebly.

"Raph!" Ninjara cried. "It's you!"

Worry flooded Raph's face. "Get away, Ninjara," he pleaded. "I can feel it fighting in my mind, trying to take back over."

"Fight it, Raph," she said.

"I can't," he said, his face contorted in struggle. A horrible yell issued from his mouth and he pushed Ninjara away. She watched in pain as he clutched his head, moaning.

The Genastone stopped his chase and looked at Raph. "What are doing, puppet?" it asked angrily.

"I'm not your puppet," Raph said, every word sounding like a labor. "This suit is giving me back life energy, giving me the will to fight."

"Giving you back...?" the Genastone wondered worriedly aloud. Memories flashed in its mind. That was how the Egyptians had won. Its servants had turned against it. Why hadn't it remembered before now?

_I cannot let it happen again,_ the Genastone vowed. It roared in outrage, flung Don out of the whip next to Mike, and trapped them both against the wall with the broad end of his sword. Then it swung its whip at Raph.

By this time Raph was standing up, his face still in agony. The whip went through his armor and wrapped around his shell. Raph screaming intensified as the Genastone drained his life energy.

Don gasped. Could it be? The whip had gone right through Raph's armor! He remembered something the Genastone had said. "Nothing foreign can pass this force field." _Nothing_ foreign _can pass..._that was it!

"Ninjara!" Don cried. "The trident! It can pass through the force field!"

Ninjara saw the same thing as Don and leapt towards Raph's weapon lying on the ground. A hand grabbed hers, and she looked up to see Raph's face, fierce and devoid of any compassion.

"Raph?" she asked.

He didn't respond, but merely threw her against the wall. He picked up his trident and aimed at Ninjara, the tips sparking dangerously. "You will not be a threat anymore," he said without emotion.

Mike and Don struggled, but the sword held them firmly against the wall. Ninjara, clutching her head, looked up just in time to see a blast heading straight for her head.

Something hard grabbed her and pushed her out of the line of fire. There was an explosion of dust where she had laid a moment before. She looked down to see her rescuer. "Leo!" she cried in relief.

Leo coughed. "Glad to be of service," he said feebly.

"How dare you?" Raph growled.

Leo hardened his face in determination and flipped over. Ninjara watched in amazement and he planted his left hand on the ground, gripped Raph's trident between the toes on his left foot, and rammed his right foot into Raph's face, making him lose hold of his weapon. Raph staggered backward but quickly regained himself. Leo transferred the trident to his hands and stood up, facing Raphael.

"Are you going to attack _me_, brother?" Raph sneered.

"I don't hate you that much," Leo said with a smile, and threw the trident away from Raph and towards the Genastone.

The Genastone yelled in anger and fear and raised an arm to try to block the weapon, but it passed right through its arm and smashed through the jewel. The stone broke into hundreds of pieces and fell to the floor. At the same time, Raph collapsed, and all the life energy constructions disappeared.

Leo heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed to the knees. Mike went over to him and laid his hands on his shoulders. Ninjara picked up Raph's unconscious body and cradled him in her arms. Don walked over to the Genastone's remains and bent down to look at them.

"It's gone," Don said aloud. "The shield could block any mass or energy, but had no effect on itself." He stood up and looked at his brothers. "We actually did it."

Before they could fully relax, the room shuddered. Don looked around. Cracks were starting to form in the rock.

"Let's go!" Don shouted. "Without the Genastone's will, the life energy couldn't hold itself together, and without the life energy support, this place is going to collapse."

"Wonderful," Mike commented. He helped Leo to his feet and placed Leo's arm around his shoulder. Don ran over to Raph, picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. Then they ran.

It was a frenzied dash. They jumped down the shaft, fled the circular room, and raced up the stairs leading out. Behind them, the underground fortress was coming crashing down.

They jumped out of the entrance and still ran. They reached the nearest building and climbed the fire escape to the room. When they turned to look back, nothing was left except a deep crater.

Don laid Raph gently down and examined him, Ninjara looking on tensely. "He's okay," Don pronounced. "He has extreme exhaustion, but that's all. He'll recover." Ninjara sighed in relief.

Leo and Mike stood at the edge of the roof, observing the scene illuminated in moonlight. "What do you think happened to Krang and Shredder?" Mike asked.

"I didn't see them," he replied. "They probably escaped when the life energy dissipated."

"Kind of a shame," Mike said.

"Maybe," Leo said. He heard sirens approaching. "We'd better head for home," he said. "Our work here is done."

* * *

The Turtles slept the rest of the night and well into the next day. They awoke in time for supper, most fully rejuvenated except for Raphael. He was stuck in a troubled sleep, tossing and turning in bed. However, under Don's attentive care and Ninjara's watchful eye, the nightmares ceased and Raph was awake the next day. "Now we're even," was the first thing he said. "We've both tried to kill each other."

Ninjara laughed, remembering when they had first met.

The day after that, Raph was sitting in the recliner in the living room, and the others were gathered with him, watching April on the news.

"The mysterious illness that recently struck New York and left many people bedridden for days seems to have stopped," she reported. "No new cases have surfaced for several days. Scientists are baffled as to the cause of the epidemic, but the victims are expected to make a complete recovery."

"Well, that's good," Raph commented.

"Hush," Ninjara said. "Regain your strength."

"I'm fine," Raph said. "No illness will keep me down for long."

Leo smiled and shook his head. All was back to normal. It worried him a little that Krang and Shredder were still out there somewhere, but he didn't let it bother him too much. They would face that when it came, as they always did. As for right now...

_...well,_ he thought, looking at his brothers and sister with fondness, _we're okay. And that's all that matters._


End file.
